A sheet discharge apparatus includes a first tray for stacking sheets, and a sheet bundle forming unit that forms a sheet bundle on the first tray. The sheet bundle forming unit forms a first sheet bundle on the first tray, and forms a second sheet bundle on the first sheet bundle to be offset from the first sheet bundle. When forming each of the first sheet bundle and the second sheet bundle on the first tray, the sheet bundle forming unit divides sheets constituting each of the sheet bundles into a plurality of sets and discharges the sheets in a plurality of times for each sheet bundle. A number of sheets included in a first sheet set of the first sheet bundle is set smaller than a number of sheets included in a first sheet set of the second sheet bundle.

A sorting device is mounted, in an image forming apparatus, in a sheet discharge space open at its front and sheet-discharge-direction downstream side, insertably or extractably at the downstream side. The sorting device includes a base portion, a tray portion, and a flexible member. The base portion is mounted, with the tray portion, in the base portion. The base portion has, in its upstream part in sheet discharge direction, a base inclined portion inclined upward downstream. With the base portion mounted in the bottom portion, the base inclined portion faces, across a predetermined gap, a bottom inclined surface inclined upward downstream in discharge direction. The tray portion is supported on the base portion to be reciprocatable in sheet width direction orthogonal to discharge direction. The flexible member is fitted to the base inclined portion and fills the gap between the base inclined portion and the bottom inclined surface.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes a sheet conveying member; a guide portion configured to define a sheet conveying path; a pressing portion configured to press the sheet to curve the sheet as viewed in a sheet conveying direction in the sheet conveying path; and a moving portion movable by an edge of the sheet passing through the sheet conveying path and arranged so that at least a part of a movable range of the moving portion is overlapped with the pressing portion. The moving portion includes a first abutment portion configured to abut against the sheet passing through the sheet conveying path on one side in the width direction with respect to a conveyance center of the sheet conveying member and a second abutment portion configured to abut against the sheet passing through the sheet conveying path on the other side with respect to the conveyance center.

A sheet binding method involves holding a tape in at least two different locations of the tape; guiding a sheet bundle to between the two different locations of the tape; bending and holding the tape so as to be convex with respect to a conveying direction on a downstream side of the sheet bundle; and contacting the convex tape with the sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle.

A sheet binding method involves holding a tape in at least two different locations of the tape; guiding a sheet bundle to between the two different locations of the tape; bending and holding the tape so as to be convex with respect to a conveying direction on a downstream side of the sheet bundle; and contacting the convex tape with the sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, a first guiding unit having a first surface forming a first feeding passage, and a second guiding unit forming a second feeding passage. The second guiding unit includes a first member made of metal and having a first guiding surface on which a leading end of a sheet is guided in a first section including an upstream end portion of the second feeding passage with respect to a sheet feeding direction, and includes a second member made of a resin material and having a second guiding surface on which the sheet is guided in a second section downstream of the first section in the second feeding passage with respect to the sheet feeding direction. The first guiding surface is spaced from a first phantom contact surface extending from an end portion of the first surface and contacting the second guiding surface.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, a first guiding unit having a first surface forming a first feeding passage, and a second guiding unit forming a second feeding passage. The second guiding unit includes a first member made of metal and having a first guiding surface on which a leading end of a sheet is guided in a first section including an upstream end portion of the second feeding passage with respect to a sheet feeding direction, and includes a second member made of a resin material and having a second guiding surface on which the sheet is guided in a second section downstream of the first section in the second feeding passage with respect to the sheet feeding direction. The first guiding surface is spaced from a first phantom contact surface extending from an end portion of the first surface and contacting the second guiding surface.

A printer includes: a printing head; a conveyor; a cutter for cutting the medium to provide a segmented medium; a discharge roller; a counter roller; a sensor for detecting whether the segmented medium remains between the discharge roller and the counter roller; and a controller configured to perform: setting an operation mode to one of a first mode and a second mode depending on a medium kind; controlling the printing head and the conveyor to perform a first print control on the medium; controlling the sensor to detect whether the segmented medium has been removed; and permitting a second print control to be performed. When the operation mode is the first mode, the second print control is permitted after the sensor detects whether the segmented medium has been removed. When the operation mode is the first mode, the second print control is permitted without controlling the sensor.

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a belt support surrounded by the belt, and a sliding sheet configured to be pinched at the nip between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the belt support. The belt support is configured to form a nip with the rotator. One of the belt support and the sliding sheet includes a hook engaging portion. The hook engaging portion includes an aperture. The other of the belt support and the sliding sheet includes a hook engaged to the aperture.

A dispenser, apparatus, system and method for automatically dispensing portable or sterile items from a continuous length of packages of items ideally packaged as a stack, including a support shaped and configured to support the stack, a feed mechanism arranged in flow communication relative to the support for feeding the stack towards a dispensing point, a separation means extending from the feed mechanism, shaped and configured for separating an item from the stack at the dispensing point, an electric motor configured to drive the feed mechanism; and a sensor shaped and configured to detect a dispensing parameter, wherein in use, the dispenser is activated by a user providing the dispensing parameter to the sensor thereby activating the feed mechanism to automatically feed the stack towards the dispensing point such that the separation means separates the item from stack thereby allowing for the item to be dispensed.